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the cause of fin, or any friend to it; that, with inconveniencies and abfurdities, which on the contrary, it was the greatest enemy may feem fair and plaufible; and notwiththat ever fin had; for it difcovered fin, ftanding thereof, we may not reject truth, laid hold upon the strength of fio, and fo which is ufually toffed betwixt two exwas as a centinel or intelligencer, difco- tremes: For tho' an apofile (and a great vering the motions of fin, and its forces; apoftle too) had held forth truth in the I had not known fin, but by the law, fays | preceding part of this chapter; yet he he; I had not goten a right fight of the forefees, what objections, from abfurdities vilenefs and power of fin, nor had I known feemingly following thereupon, would be well what was fin, and what was not fin, made against it; and for all cleaveth to but by the moral law. And this he con- the truth, and denieth it not. firmeth and cleareth, particularly by an inftance, and that alfo in his own experience; For, fays he, I had not known luft, except the law had faid, Thou shalt not covet; as if he had faid, While I was a Pharifee, and unconverted, tho' I knew the law, yet I did not well underftand it, I knew not how complete and strict it was: As for example, I knew not that concupifcence, that the first motions of defire, affecting the mind or will, and stiring them up to think, will, or covet evil, was fin; being either after a forbiden object, or after a lawful object in an inordinate manner, and that though the will should not confent thereto; I did not know this, until I had further fight of the law, and there faw it forbiden.

OBSERVATIONS.

I. In bearing in truth upon our hearers, we should labour by all means poffible, to guard against any feeming inconvenience, which may be thought to follow upon our doctrine, against which our hearers have a prejudice; as Paul doth, who taketh pains to loose what objections might feem to arife from what he had faid before: And for this caufe, there is much fpiritual fharpness and fagacity requifite, to fee whence an objection might arife; and much prudence wifely to remove it.

II. Tho' truth be never so clearly held forth, adverfaries having a prejudice against it, and being affifted by Satan, who is ripe of invention, may find ways to loaden it

III. In handling of the law, we ought fo to declare the freedom of believers from that bondage, or conjugal tye, (fo to speak) unto the law, under. which, while in nature they did ly, as not to make it a doctrine, opening a door to licentioufnefs; and rejecting the law as ufelefs, finful, or a dead letter, as Paul doth here, who tho' he had faid that believers were loofed from the law, yet he will not have the law to be fin.

IV. Whatever can be made out to be the proper caufe of fin, that fame is fin itfelf; fo infecting a thing is fin: for inftead of faying, Is the law the caufe of fin? he fays, Is the law fin?

V. Truth is of fuch a pure cleanly nature, participating fomething of him who is the God and fountain of truth, and Truth itself, that it can admit of no finful and erroneous confequence, nor can any fuch foul-faced thing be fathered upon it, let feeming grounds be never fo fair and fpecious: for the apoftle denieth the confequence, by faying, God forbid.

VI. As truth is lively and beautiful in itfelf; fo it fhould have fo much room in our affections, as not to entertain any thoughts to the contrary in our hearts; the very motions of error fhould be rejected with abhorence and heart-detestation: So doth the apostle here, faying God forbid: error being of fuch a dangerous and fouldestroying nature, and no way innocent and harmless, it should be guarded against more than any plague, and fhuned with

great

fin, feeing even Heathens did condemn thefe, fuch as envy, hatred, &c. befide it is of fuch that the tenth commandment meaneth, because otherways it fhould not differ from the reft, which do condem the fecond motions towards those things exprefly forbidden in them, as wrath and envy, in the fixth; carnal defires, in the feventh, &c.

great carefulness and vigilance; for the | the fecond motions confented unto, were apoftle, to speak fo, fleeth from this error, as a pest house, by faying, God forbid. VII. Minifters, and private Chriftians likeways, may lawfully bring forth their own experience in humility, with all prudence and moderation, without pride and often ation, to clear truths; and minifters, efpecially, fhould labour to have the truths which they preach to others, brought fo clofely home to their own hearts and confciences, that they may be in a capacity to verify what they fay from their own experience, if it be poflible: fo doth Paul here, I had not known fin, fays he, but by the lar.

VIII. The law, when rightly ftudied and improven, will prove a faithful, fharpfighted fcout and intelligencer, difcovering the unfeen motions and unknown parties of fin, and let a foul see more of fin than ever it faw before, more of its vilenefs, fruitfulness and efficacy; and this fheweth both the usefulness of the law, and its enmity against fin, or how fmall a friend it is to it This is the apostle's argument, why the law is not fin, becaufe it was that by which he came to the knowledge of fin. .. IX. Albeit the faculty of defiring, confidered naturally, as our other faculties, be not condemned by any law, yet if it be confidered morally, and in respect of a law, and being confidered now in the cafe of man fallen, and not as yet renewed by grace, all the motions thereof, firft and fecond, even those which are not confented unto by the will, are fin, being neither towards a lawful object, but what is forbiden, nor in ight manner; but without faith, and iminately; nor to a right end, they being contrary to a command, which only is our rule, (fin being the tranfgreffion of a law, 1 John iii. 4.) and not our will; for of thefe firft motions which tickle us, tho' wanting our confent, he fpeaks here, when he fays, he had not known luft, unlefs the law bad faid, Thou shalt not co

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X. Sin being a work of darkness lieth fo hid and darned, that not only the fmall glimmering twilight of nature cannot fully difcover it, but it may be hid even from thefe who have outstriped others in point of external worship, and strictnefs of external converfation, and are looked upon by others as eminent in religion, thro their reiting upon a fuperficial furvey of the law, and not diving in deeper into the profound depths of this molt perfect law which is exceeding broad, Pfal. cxix. 96. for Paul was ignorant of much fin, parti cularly of this of covetousness; even wher he was a Pharifee, and mott zealous in hi religion, yea, and blameless alfo in his con verfation, Phil. iii. 5. 6. a man that was al ways a man of confcience, who did no thorture therewith, Acts xxiii. 1.: for thi muft be meant of him at that time; fo neither can it agree to him while a child nor when converted.

XI...It is a moft prefumptuous,' ground lefs thing, for Papists to divide the tent commandment in two, to the end they ma keep up the number ten; and either e punge altogether the fecond, or caft it in to the firft, as that it may not speak fo even-down terms against their idolatr as indeed it doth feeing the apostle com prehendeth all the acts of covetoufnels, the object what it will, wife, or good if unlawful, under that one, Thou f not covet.

XII. It is not unfuitable unto the da of the gofpel, for minifters to be treati of, and explaining the law unto peop nor ought they for fo doing, be reproa

fu

fully filed legal preachers: for even Paul, a most gospel preacher, is here large in handling the law, in explaining it, and manifefting its usefulness.

VERSE 8: But fin taking occafion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupifcence. For without the law fin was dead.

IN

OBSERVATIONS.

I. Men will be ready to blame any thing rather than themfelves for fin, and will look over themselves in feeking out the true caufe of it, and fo be ready to put the faddle upon the wrong horse; but would they look in into their own hearts and minds, they would find out the true original caufe of every wicked act, to be a corrupt nature within themselves, and it is their ignorance of this, which maketh them fo oft at a lofs to find out the true cause of fin: All this is clear from Paul's laying, That it was fin that wrought all luftful acts.

Il. Tho' that natural corruption and pravity, which we brought into the world. with us, be a punishment of the tranfgreffior of our forefathers; yet it is not only a want of original righteoufnefs, as ficknefs is the want of health, but it is a finful privation of that righteousness which once we were poffeffors of in Adam; it is fuch a corruption of our whole nature, as is offenfive to God, and contrary to his holy commandment, and fo properly finful. Therefore it is here called fin, as being the chief fin, or mother-fin.

N this verfe, as we conceive, the apostle doth two things; 1. He cleareth that which he had spoken in the 5th verfe, which was the ground of the objection last mentioned; viz. How the motions of fin were by the law; by faying, that the body of death within, the natural pravity and corruption that original mother fin took occafion (none being given) at the law's heming of it in with high banks, to break out with greater violence, more impetuoufly; as a strong runing river, the more it be damed up and hemed in on all hands, it bursts out with greater ftrength: So fin (that is original fin) taking occafion by the commandment, its bordering of it with ftrong walls, wrought in me all manner of concupifcence; it begot effectively, and, effectually brought forth, it perfected and accomplished finful motions of all forts; III. So ftrong and active is this corrupfor the word fignifies, to carry on a thing tion of our natures, that it produceth, begun, until it be perfected, Phil. ii. 12. caufeth, promoteth, and accomplisheth where it is rendered work out. And here- finful motions and acts of concupifcence by he further confirmeth, that the law is in us, even thofe firft motions which are not the caufe of fin, as by a fecond argu- finful (as was fhown before) owe their ment; because, at most it is but the occa- original and first rise, as alfo their perfectifion thereof, and an occafion only taken on, unto this fountain evil: for it is this by the natural pravity and corruption with-fin which worketh all manner of concupifin, which is the only proper caufe of thefe finful motions. 2. The apoftle doth further clear and confirm his firft argument; For without the law fin was dead, fays he; that is, until I attained unto the more clear and distinct knowledge of the law, fin was lying dead and buried, never once ftiring or kything, but was quite out of fight and mind, as a thing dead and buried.

cence.

IV. Such as, in their own experience, have felt the activity of corruption, caufing actual tranfgreffions, are most able to convince felf righteous folks, whofe eyes felf-love hath fo put out, as they cannot fee, or rather will not fee, that the native rife of fin is within themselves, and reafons brought from fuch experiences, are most ready to take with thefe: as is clear

г

in Paul's practice here, who maketh ufe of his own experience, by faying, that fin wrought in him all manner of concupifcence. V. So prone are thefe naturally corrupted hearts of ours, to break out into all manner of actual tranfgreffions, till grace make a change, and diminish the ftrength and vigour of original corruption; that what thould prove a curb, will prove a fpur, and it will take cccafion at the law of God, which fhould be a ftrong rampart to keep it in, to break out more fiercely: for it is this fin that takes occafion by the commandment, to work all manner of concu pifcence.

the law, and are, as it were, without the law: for Paul fays, he was without the law, inftead of faying, he had not the thorough knowledge of the law..

VERSES 9. 10. 11. For I was alive with
out the law once: but sohen the command-
ment came, fin revived, and I aied.
And the commandment which was ordained
to life, I found to be unto death.
For fin taking occafion by the commandment,
deceived me, and by it flew me.

M

Oreover the apofle bringeth anc

ther argument to prove that the VI. Let men blame the holy law of law is not the caufe of fin, to this purpofe, God as they will, and thereby think to The law is fo far from being the proper vade God's juft judgment becaufe of caufe of fin, that it was the mean of bringtheir tranfgreffions; yet in end it fhall being me to a thorough fight and fenfe of my found, that the law of God has had no hand in their iniquities, but at most was a paffive occafion, and that fin followed thereupon by accident, by reafon of the ftrength of corruption: Therefore it is faid, that fin took occafion (none at all given) at the command.

VII. Though corruption be very active and operative in itfelf, and continually bringing out finful brood; yet it may be as dead unto fuch as fwell with pride and conceit of themselves, and truft to their own righteousness, their minds being darkened, and their eyes blinded, fo as they cannot fee the mind of God fully in his law, but reft upon their own fuperficial gloffes, and half interpretations: for fo did it fare with Paul, while a Pharifee, not awakened, to him fin was dead, that is, to his fight and apprehenfion his nature was not fo vicious and corrupted as indeed it

miferable ftate and condition; and had it not been the law, I had perished for ever,. and my vain and groundless hopes had given up the ghoft with me: And here-by alfo he confirmeth and cleareth how fin was dead. So then, 1. he fays, Hewas alive without the law once; the time was, while he, being a Pharifee puffed up with a good conceit of himfelf, imagining no danger, but looking upon himself as fafe, and fure of life, because he was free of external out-breakings, his confcience not condemning him for any thing of that nature, he then was alive, a thousand miles from death or any danger, while he was without the law, that is, the true and fpiritual meaning of the law, refting upon his pharifaical gloffes, which were moft wide, as Chrift gives us to understand in his emendations, Matth. v. and vi. Now how was this helped? when the commandment came; that is, when the true fenfe and VIII. Let men have as much external, meaning of the law was taken up, which literal, head knowledge of the law as can formerly was exiled and far out of fight, be; yet fo long as it doth not difcover the when that came near hand, and was clearactivity and strength of natural corruption, ly and diftin&tly feen; then, fin revived; bringing forth actual tranfgreffions, but liethfin and corruption, which before was as by as dead and harmless, working no evil, unknown as if it had been dead and buried they have indeed no faving knowledge of out of all mens fight and apprehenfion;

was.

now

now gets up, and is now feen more fully than ever; it is now brought above ground, and appeareth as one rifen from the dead: and I died; that is, when I got fuch a fight of fin now reviving, and appearing from under the afhes, I faw myself a lost man by the law; the more that fin appeared, the more guilt appeared, and fo I faw myfelf more and more dead by the law. And this he amplifieth by a fad confequent, which he hereby had found out by his own experience; viz. That the law, which at the begining was appointed to have been the way of life, was now turned quite contrary unto him, and proving a way unto death, because of his natural corruption; the commandment which was ordained unto life, be found to be unto death: The law which at firft was appointed for this end to have been the way unto life, fo as fuch as would keep it perfectly should certainly have attained unto life as a reward, was now binding him over to everlasting deftruction, because of the penalty annexed, Curfed is every one that abideth not in every thing written in the book of the law, it now being broken daily thro' fin and corruption. And because it seemed hard to fay, that the law was a way unto death unto him, therefore, verfe 11. he cleareth the matter, and confirmeth what he had faid, by faying, For fin taking occafion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it flew me; that is, the blame is not to be laid upon the law, that it is now turned to be unto death, when before it was unto life; but upon fin and corruption, which took occafion by the law. feeing the law laying bonds upon it, it was fired up the more to ufe all the means and wiles it could, to draw the man unto fin, and fo it deceived him; and he being deceived and drawn into the fnare, he was a dead man, by reafon of the commination added; and thus the commandment flew him.

OBSERVATIONS.

I. It is natural to all the children of Adam to ly fecure, and look upon them

felves as far from any danger; they have no will to have any evil thoughts of themfelves; and fo long as they are in black nature, lying under the power of fin and Satan, they cannot fee well how matters go wit: them, they fear no danger, they have no thought of damnation, but please theinfelves in their own dreams, and look upon themselves as alive; as Paul did once while unconverted; he was alive once, tho' never more dead than then, when he thought himself alive.

II. One main mean which lulleth natural folk thus hard and fast asleep, and keepeth them thus up in their vain conceits, is their want of the fpiritual fight of the law; a right fight of the fpiritual fenfe and meaning of the law, would rouze finners out of their natural fecure condition, by difcovering unto them their guilt, and their danger of eternal vengeance therefore: It was Paul's being without the law was the caufe of his being alive; I was alive without the law once, faith he.

III. The right understanding of the law being fo neceffary and useful for discovering folks natural condition, and their danger, and fo a main mean of making them fall out of all conceit of fin; we may be abundantly convinced, that the law is not to be blamed with our fins: for this is one reafon, why the law is not fin, because he was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, fin revived, &c.

IV. Converfion maketh a real change upon the fouls of finners, howbeit many may be in the dark as to the right taking of it up, and may doubt thereof: for once Paul was alive, and then dead, and this is a great change; their thoughts of themfelves before and after converfion are very different.

V. As all the faculties of man are naturally defiled with fin, and out of a right pofture; fo in particular, there is great ignorance and darkness upon their judgments, fo as they are ignorant of thofe truths which are moft neceffary to be Gg. 2

known;

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